UPDATE 3 – 22 killed in northern Türkiye mine blast

UPDATES CASUALTY FIGURES; REVISES HEADLINE, INTRO

By Zehra Nur Duz and Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Twenty-two workers have been killed Friday in a blast at a coal mine in northern Türkiye, according to the Turkish health minister.

Eight of the injured are being treated at an intensive care unit, Fahrettin Koca wrote on Twitter.

Five are at the Emergency Response Center established in the area, he added.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said they were among 28 miners who have so far been rescued and moved to hospitals.

At least three miners are in critical condition in intensive care units, he told reporters at the mine in Amasra, a district in the Black Sea province of Bartin.

Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said initial findings indicate the blast was caused by firedamp, an explosive mixture of flammable gases in mines.

Dozens of miners are believed to be trapped underground since around 6:15 p.m. local time (1515GMT), with nearly 150 personnel engaged in search and rescue operations.

Bartin Governor Nurtac Arslan earlier said 12 miners had been pulled out and at least 49 were trapped, but authorities are yet to release an updated figure.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is closely monitoring the situation, the Turkish Presidency said on Twitter.

He has cancelled a planned trip to the eastern Diyarbakir province and will instead travel to Amasra on Saturday.

In a tweet, Erdogan said search and rescue operations are progressing “rapidly” at the mine.